From Generative AI to Generative Organizations: A Service Lens on Organizational Learning and Development

GenAI has conquered the world in flight. Balancing benefits and risks of introducing GenAI the question organizations are asking themselves is not whether to use GenAI, but how: integrate into the "run" of existing processes, "transform" the processes or "innovate" the organization at all (Spohrer, 2021, March, 1991)? On the other hand generative learning in the organizational context is in theory hardly characterized beyond rudimentary properties (Chiva et al., 2010, Senge, 1997). Our research focuses on building theoretical knowledge and practical implications of "how GenAI can be used to transform organizations to generative organizations for improving organizational learning and development". To address the research question we take a service lens and ground our research design on a broad knowledge base of theories, concepts, company practices, and instantiations that address individual parts of our research. The purpose of the paper is to explore how the introduction of GenAI can be used in a "land and expand" strategy to develop also other generative capabilities (GenXX). In this way, the study contributes to building knowledge about how organizations can continuously scale up their capacity to (co-) create value to learn, to adapt, and thus to develop.Methodology and Approach Our research design is seen as overall strategy in order to integrate in a logical way the different components of our research for ensuring that the research question will be thoroughly analyzed and investigated (Khanday S., 2019). A conceptual paper as approach and within this a “model” as type of paper is selected for building a conceptual framework that predicts relationships between the properties and the processes in the context of introducing GenAI. For explaining the properties of the phenomenon, we draw on the domain theories Service-Dominant Logic and Service Science. To demonstrate and study the relationships of the properties Service Dominant Architecture is chosen as method theory (MacInnis, 2011, Jaakkola, 2020, Gilson and Goldberg, 2015).Findings The study contributes to theory building referring to the terms and mechanisms of building generative capabilities and generative learning of organizations. More precisely, this means: The extension of the definition of "generative". The narrative and process of learning and building generative capabilities (GenXX) via service for service exchange provided by S-D Logic. The structural perspective on generative learning judged by Service Science as improvement of a service system or the structure of interconnected service (eco) systems. And architecture perspectives as (construction-) plan as medium and output for the intentional building of generative capabilities and fostering learning to improve change by Service Dominant Architecture. In this way, this work also contributes knowledge for practical decisions to foster organizational learning in the sense of "land and expand" with the introduction of GenAI.